Playing With Fire
by sayheyadancer
Summary: Nathan Scott and Haley James do not hide the fact that they despise to be anywhere near each other. In fact they only have one thing in common: Lucas Scott. But when life works out in mysterious and tragic ways, it might just become harder and harder to p
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Okay, so I'm ready to start this story out

**Author's Note: **Okay, so I'm ready to start this story out. The plot has been bugging me in my head for days now and although I was determined to get another story of mine finished before this, I've hit a dry period on it. So I'm really hoping for success with this story because I've been itching to write it! The chapters are going to be long, so just in case school and other things catch up with me, you guys could have more to look forward to.

I hope you guys enjoy my first time at writing a One Tree Hill story! Please review.

**Summary: **Nathan Scott and Haley James do not hide the fact that they despise to be anywhere near each other. In fact they only have one thing in common: Lucas Scott. But when life works out in mysterious and tragic ways, it might just become harder and harder to pull away. NxH. Other pairs include LxB and JxP.

**I do not own anything.**

**--**

**Let It Rock**

The music from the large sound system filled the room and bounced off the walls. Haley watched disgustedly at a young couple perched up on the suede couch, their hands groping and feeling up each other as if they couldn't even make it to the bedroom. Staying close to the warm body of her best friend, she squirmed her way through the crowds of people desperately racking her brain to reasons why she actually decided to come to this party. All high school students do anymore is drink alcohol and having sex. For Haley to think that this time might be any different was stupidity on her part. Sweeping her eyes across the room, looking for any sign of normalcy in there, she officially declared this gathering a complete and utter waste of time.

"Luke, I really hate you right now for dragging me to this place! It's the same as it always is!" Haley looked towards her best friend hoping that he would agree with her, but only saw a roll of his eyes as he smiled down at her knowingly. She groaned deeply as she realized that since he was her ride home for this evening, she had no choice but to stay.

Lucas placed a warm hand on his best friend's back and guided her through the crowded room. He then laughed at her, "Oh come on Hales. It's the one night that you can leave the books at home and come out and have some fun with your friends." His eyes changed as he spotted his girlfriend, Brooke Davis in the crowd and quickly waved her over to the two of them.

Haley smiled as she watched the beautiful brunette gracefully make her way towards Lucas and place a sweet kiss on his lips as she reached them. Brooke Davis may be the captain of the cheerleading squad, but she has the biggest heart that Haley has ever known and the two of them are actually quite good friends. Haley felt proud of her best friend for finding a girl that he is so in love with and is completely good to him. Watching Brooke giggle at something Luke whispered in his ear, made Haley frown just a little bit as she wondered if she would ever find the same happiness that they had found with each other.

"What's with the long face, tutor girl?" Brooke snapped her out of her reverie and Haley saw that her face was scrunched up like she was ready to have a private talk with her. Not wanting to ruin their moment, Haley grinned as she hid her sudden disappointment and began talking lightly with Brooke. Hopefully she would be able to keep her mind out of the gutter for the night and try to lighten up and have fun like Lucas had suggested she do.

"Hey what's up, guys?" A new voice spoke up and Haley suddenly felt her good mood crashing down. Glancing towards the man with disheveled features and good looks that Haley would only admit to herself, she saw that he was smirking at her as if daring her to say something.

_I guess I thought too soon _Haley mentally cursed to herself as she struggled to keep her eyes off of him and pretend to be looking the other way. She heard the voices of her two friends greeting him and Haley suddenly felt bitter to the world, silently asking God why he planned on torturing her so. "So Haley, are you even going to acknowledge my presence at all?" Nathan bothered her with that slight mischievous twinkle in his eyes as she knew he knew exactly who he was playing with.

Haley mirrored his smug look and gave a slight roll of the eyes. "I thought we were fine with not even speaking to each other?" She sarcastically questioned him. Before he had the chance to retort, Haley's eyes lit up slightly as she thought of a few more words. "Oh wait-that's what I wish could happen; maybe we can come to an agreement?" Her words seemed so cool and vital that the fact that she loathed him could have just rolled off of her tongue carelessly.

Nathan scoffed and immensely sent a hardened look in the petite girl's direction. "I'm pretty sure that can be arranged" He cockily mimicked Haley and turned to mutter under his breath slightly, "The feeling's mutual, believe me." He had no idea why he had grown to hate that girl. The fact that they were from the same little circle of friends made the whole thing completely bizarre to the outsiders that watched them scream at each other's throats almost every chance they got.

Lucas and Brooke looked distastefully between the pair that were now standing with crossed arms and glaring at each other wondering what either of them had done to make them despise each other. They exchanged looks and felt slightly amused at the sight-it was hard not to be seeing as almost every time they got within inches of the other they tended to create an exciting scene. Lucas raised his eyebrows at the thought and realization that Haley is the only person that can rile Nathan up like that and vice versa.

"I'm going to get a drink-Brooke you're coming with me." Haley spoke up and looped her arm through her friend's making her squeak as she forcefully pulled her off towards the direction of the kitchen and away from her enemy.

Lucas watched as Nathan narrowed his eyes at Haley's retreating back and he only shook his head. "Man" He patted his brother on the back, "You and her seriously need to work out your differences. Both of you cause trouble every time you are even in the same room together, and I mean it when I'm telling you that it's getting bad." Nathan gave Lucas a look that seemed to say 'hell would have to freeze over before we'd ever be civil with each other'.

"Don't talk to me-talk to her! She's the one that starts it all" Nathan threw out an accusation pointing in Haley's direction, making Lucas glare at his half brother. "Like when I tried to greet her with a hello she just shrugs it off, not so politely may I add, and starts jumping at my throat like a fireball."

Lucas laughed unbelievably at the fact that his brother was acting like a child. "So your version of a 'hello' is 'Hey Haley, are you going to even act like you see me standing here like a jackass?" He bellowed as Nathan sneered and shoved at his brother, mocking him. "Oh come on, you know it's true. You pointedly make a joke when you know it annoys the hell out of her."

"Well she _pointedly _tries to ignore me so what other choice do I have?"

"Just keep your mouth shut, Nate. I don't even know why my little brother and best friend have to hate each other, but that's the best way to keep you two from clawing at each other's eyes." Lucas sighed and shook his head to himself, even after years of this charade, still not comprehending the fact that they just don't get along.

Nathan grumbled a little to himself, leaning back against a wall coolly. He shrugged as if the idea seemed plausible and took a swig of the drink he had been holding in his hands, "Fine. But if you ever call me 'little' in public again, I might have to kick your ass." The playful banter in his eyes made Lucas laugh as he noticed the two girls walking up behind Nathan as he spoke.

"Why Nathan, are you embarrassed that word might actually get out about the size of your cock?" Haley butted in smirking proudly to herself, enjoying the pleasure in watching his face fall like his manhood had just been destroyed. Both Lucas and Brooke roared with laughter as Nathan just stared unbelievably at his sworn enemy, ready to break his promise to Lucas to keep his mouth shut.

However, Brooke suddenly squealed and shoved her drink into Nathan's hands, intertwining her fingers with Lucas's in the process. "Oh, I love this song! Catch you all later!" Brooke yelled over the beat of Kevin Rudolf as she and Lucas disappeared into the crowd almost immediately after being sucked in.

Haley narrowed her eyes in the direction of where her two best friends had ran off to, annoyed at the fact that they left her to deal with Nathan. Turning towards him slightly, she felt a sense of satisfaction in ruining his mood for the evening. She knew by the way he was looking at her that he came to loathe her even more now, if that was possible.

Taking a chug of her drink, Haley's stomach felt suddenly queasy at the non-pleasurable feeling of alcohol going through her system. She grimaced and pulled the cup away from her mouth, her lips curling in a distasteful manner.

"You better watch yourself James" Nathan nodded towards the cup that Haley held in her hands and smirked over at her, "One of those and you could be plunging to the toilets faster than you can make jokes about the size of my dick." Haley's mouth widened and her eyes filled with shock, as he not-so-subtly grazed her shoulder when he strode by.

Standing lamely all by her lonesome self, Haley stared grimly down at the cup of 'punch' in her hands. She really hated that guy.

--

An hour later the party was in full swing. Luckily Haley never ran into Nathan's presence again since their little tête-à-tête' when she had first arrived and instead spent most of the past hour chatting with a few of her other friends Peyton Sawyer and Jake Jagielski, and even Chris Keller who was pining for her even though she simply had no interest in him. Lucas and Brooke never returned to her since their mysterious disappearance into the dance crowd and Haley just figured that they had made it to one of the bedrooms upstairs, knowing that she may not see them for awhile.

"So then Jenny ran up to me and said, 'Look daddy, I can say the Pledge of Allegiance!" Jake chuckled as he looked towards Peyton, who grinned up at her boyfriend leaning her head against his shoulder comfortably.

Haley smiled at the sight of how cute the two of them plus Jake's daughter Jenny were. Haley had no disrespect for Jake at having a kid even though they were only seniors in high school and she knew that he was truly a wonderful and magnificent father. He was extremely lucky to have both Peyton and Jenny in his life and Haley could see how in love Peyton was with little Jenny.

"Aw Jake she is really growing up, isn't she?" Haley smiled and shook her head in amazement. "It feels unbelievable how much _everyone _has grown up this past year. It feels like just yesterday we were all so young." Haley felt the tears coming into her eyes and Peyton immediately walked over to her and hugged her tightly,

"Haley, don't cry. We're at a party! Remember the happy times, happy times!" Peyton broke the seal on them and shook her shoulders slightly making Haley's eyes light up with laughter and grab a hold of one of her very dear friend's arms sincerely, "Thanks P. I needed that reminder."

An arm reached out and snaked around Haley's neck and she suddenly felt Chris Keller's breath on her ear. "Yeah and if you ever need a different kind of reminder, you know where to find me babe." Haley could hear the cockiness in his voice and she felt like she could throw up everything she had been drinking. _Maybe Nathan was right about the drinks _Haley thought to herself while trying to wiggle free from Chris's grasp.

"Chris shut your ass up, you freak everyone out" Jake joked as they all laughed harmoniously, gaining some strange looks from their peers around them.

Haley couldn't help but feel nerved at the sudden realization that someone was watching her. Ducking her head slickly, she glanced over her shoulder to see Nathan pressed against a wall with his hook-up for the night, his hands moving all over her body. The sight made Haley really want to cringe. However, the part that stuck out the most to her was that he wasn't even paying attention to the girl whose lips were feverishly smothering kisses all over his neck.

… Instead, his eyes were focused directly on Haley.

--

She had to move. The atmosphere was slowly closing in on her and Haley suddenly felt light-headed. There was no reason in her mind that the way Nathan was staring at her should have any effect on her. Trying to shake it off as the drinks talking, she quickly set her half empty cup on the nearest flat surface. Feeling the slight brush of someone's hands coming in contact with her shoulder, she spun around rapidly to only land in the arms of Chris.

He smirked, "Well, guess you just couldn't wait for me, could you?"

Haley felt like punching this guy in the gut as he slung an arm around her shoulder comfortably. Reflexively, Haley tried shrugging off his arm, all the while glancing apprehensively around the room for any sights of someone to run to.

A softer beat of a song came on and all the couples in the room turned to their partners and slowed down the rhythm in their dancing. Chris pressed Haley up against him, harder than before, as he slowly began grinding into her backside. Standing there numbly, she felt disgusted at the thought of his crotch rubbing up against her bottom.

She noticed that Lucas and Brooke had returned to the first floor and had joined Peyton and Jake on the dance floor. Scratching the back of her neck nervously, Haley barely moved to the beat of what Chris was dancing to, she was desperately searching for a way out.

Her eyes landed on Nathan for the second time and this time around his eyes were filled with some emotion that she was certain she had never seen before. It was almost as if he actually looked concerned for her. He slit his eyes coolly and narrowed them at the boy who was currently grossing Haley out with his constant pushiness.

Feeling suddenly vulnerable and aggravated of what this scene might become, Haley reached for Chris's hand. "Come on" She shouted roughly, forcefully shoving him into the heat of the crowd.

She couldn't stand one more second of Nathan Scott.

--

**Amanda**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **So I thought of this chapter as I was sitting in health class listening to my teacher drone on about the reproductive system. Yeah I know…it was productive ;) Hope you like it. Thanks for all the amazing reviews!

**Thanks to my beta Addie ;)**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Tree Hill or any related characters.

--

_Some say the world will end in fire,_

_Some say in ice._

_From what I've tasted of desire_

_I hold with those who favor fire._

_But if it had to perish twice,_

_I think I know enough of hate_

_To say that for destruction ice_

_Is also great_

_And would suffice._

_**Robert Frost-Fire and Ice**_

**Risky Business**

Haley James bounded down the stairs, launching off her backpack in a lazy fashion next to the front door. Turning towards the wooden table that was set up in the small, cozy dining room she reached over to pluck an apple out of the bowl sitting in the middle of it.

She was surprisingly in a good mood this morning. Sighing contently, she heard the crunch of the apple as she practically wolfed it down. Haley grinned as she was suddenly ready for this day, thinking that nothing bad could possibly happen at this particular time.

A car horn honked loudly several times from outside the house and Haley scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion. Usually when Lucas arrived at her house, he knew he only had to make the sound once before she came barreling through the front door. _Something must be up his ass this morning _Haley concluded in her mind scornfully, shrugging at the small thought of dealing with a pissed off Lucas.

"Bye Mom!" Haley yelled up the stairs swiftly, chucking her messenger bag over her shoulder as she closed the front door behind her. The light brown-haired girl grinned happily once she was out in the sunshine, still feeling like it was going to be an incredible day.

Man, life had to be a bitch.

Haley stopped dead in her tracks as she saw who was behind the wheel of the car instead of her best friend like usual. Growling menacingly under her breath, Haley drew a deep breath in, all thoughts of it being a good day flying out the window. As Haley got closer to the car she noticed that Nathan had rolled down the window for Lucas, who was now leaning over the seat to speak directly to Haley,

"I'm sorry Hales. My car broke down last night so it's in Keith's shop." Lucas looked at his best friend apologetically, who seemed to be having a hard time controlling her emotions. Haley just gritted her teeth and kept repeating vigorously in her head to remind herself to speak to Luke later about not having warned her before hand that her day was going to turn out like shit.

"Could we maybe get this show on the road?" Nathan snapped, keeping his icy gaze forward in an attempt to keep his cool himself. He didn't like this anymore than he could tell she did, but he certainly didn't want to be late to school because of _her_.

Rolling her eyes, Haley yanked the car door to the back seat open then slammed it shut behind her. She huffed to herself and continued her act by dramatically flipping her hair over her shoulder and crossing her arms thickly. Haley realized that the car still wasn't moving as she sat there in complete disdain. Glancing up to the rearview mirror she could see Nathan's nerving eyes locked on hers.

"What?" Haley snapped venomously, annoyed at the way he was looking at her, mostly because she couldn't help but feel distracted and slightly uncomfortable by his eyes.

"Just fucking put your seatbelt on James, and _then _we won't have a problem."

Raising her eyebrows at the cold tone he had chosen to take with her, Haley made no argument as she quickly slipped her belt on. She wasn't going to lie; he frightened her sometimes, most days actually. Although, Haley felt some security that he waited to make sure she was safe in the car before he took off. However, that thought merely switched to repugnance as she pushed the toe of her shoe into the back of Nathan's seat.

Haley smiled smugly in accomplishment as she heard him breathe in tightly and hiss under his breath, knowing that he was trying as hard as he could to not crack.

That girl seriously knew how to get under his skin. Nathan has resulted into biting down hard on his lip to keep himself from pulling the car over to the side of the road and kicking her out. Looking towards Luke, he gave him a threatening glare which told Lucas that he wasn't about to take anymore of her nonsense.

Lucas understood and nodded, turning to throw Haley a warning glance, silently telling her to knock it off. Haley responded by ignoring his look and breezily looking out the side window. Yes, she knew she was acting like a child. But, somehow enjoying Nathan's bitter remarks and hostile stares helped her get through this morning that was slowly turning to hell.

Turning back to the front, Lucas noticed his brother's knuckles turning white from his firm grip on the steering wheel in front of him. He was enjoying the pleasures of seeing his face darken every time he snuck a glance back at Haley and amused at the way he sometimes looked curious, as if he were wondering what was really going on in her head.

Or in Nathan's mind, he would call it her very, messed up head.

--

Haley slammed her locker door shut loudly, turning to look at her best friend Peyton in fury. "I swear to God, Pey…" She began to babble endlessly, quickly Peyton put a finger to her lips before she barely even got started.

"Uh, uh. No. There's no way in hell you are going off about him again" Peyton muttered towards Haley, however more to herself. She had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes over how she had to listen to Haley rant on and on about Nathan Scott and how much she resented him.

The two friends began walking down the hall towards the cafeteria and Peyton silently groaned to herself, knowing that she was about to witness possibly another outburst between Nathan and Haley. She had already seen one this morning; all of them were in the same 2nd period English class. Peyton was still oblivious as to how the argument even began, knowing it had to do somehow with him calling her a "nutcase on reading" and her throwing back at him with how "he doesn't understand nor care about the true values reading can bring." Instead, he apparently is a no-good basketball player whose only talent is on the court. Regardless, their fight ended with them having to be put on opposite sides of the room from each other. To add to the irony of it all, Peyton ended up sitting smack dab in the middle of the room, like she was shielding them both from throwing spit balls at each other's heads. Peyton laughed at the silliness of their spat, knowing that they both knew what makes the other tick…and not in the good way.

Fingers snapped in front of Peyton's face and she suddenly realized that she had to come back to Earth. Jake stood in front of her and that was all it took for Peyton to grin widely and throw herself into her boyfriend's arms. She had barely seen him all morning and after the day she was having, it felt good to be around him.

Haley couldn't help but feel excited whenever she saw those two together; it was honestly like they were Romeo and Juliet. Sighing happily for her two friends, Haley made a wish to herself that she hoped to find a love like theirs one day that could last for an eternity.

Someone pushed themselves hard against her back and Haley sputtered as she tried to control herself from falling flat on her face from the impact of the hit. Turning to see who the culprit was, Haley felt her eyes narrow as she mentally smacked her head, not surprised that it was the one person she hated the most.

"Nathan!" Haley spun around swiftly, her long, light brown curls spinning around from one shoulder to the other. Nathan stood in front of her with a group of his basketball friends, all of them chuckling to themselves at her reaction. "Why do you always have to be such a jerk?" She muttered, attempting to shove past him. He was too quick for her, she concluded, as he grabbed a hold of her passing shoulder,

"Why do you always have to be in such a pissy mood?"

Both of their bodies were now facing each other, silently changeling and taunting the other with their eyes, neither daring to make sound nor movement. To their peers around them they had become noticeably close, their noses not far off from touching. There was no need for an argument; there was too much fire in both of their eyes to set it free using words. Instead, Nathan and Haley took more to glaring each other down and breathing heavily.

Peyton and Jake stood off to the side, stunned at the scene before them. No one had seen them around each other absolutely quiet, without any smart remarks or snide comments. The silence of their friends was deafening and no one spoke as they switched looks wordlessly between Nathan and Haley, anxious for the outcome to be revealed.

"Alright, alright break it up" Lucas Scott roared as he pushed through the crowd with Brooke and frowned at his brother and best friend. Shaking his head, he placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder and shoved him as far away from Haley as possible, "Man, for your own good just _give it up_."

Nathan stared grimly at his brother but nevertheless strode through the cafeteria doors without another word to Haley. She followed his path with her eyes, narrowing them so far that she could very well slit his body into two parts.

"Move along now! Nothing else to see here, since I am _far _too clothed to put on a show right now" Brooke smirked as she idly snapped her fingers in front of people's faces. Students groaned at Brooke's attempt to receive all the attention and Lucas winced at the faint cat calls of the men coming from all the way down the halls.

Haley snorted and rolled her eyes over to Lucas, who seemed to be having a hard time from giving up and going to kick the asses of the guys who kept hitting on his girlfriend.

"Come on Hales, we've waited at a safe distance. Now let's grab some lunch!" She tried to lead her best friend away from the scene excitedly, locking elbows with both her and Peyton. Peyton glared back at her boyfriend reluctantly, like she was getting the death sentence.

Both Jake and Lucas laughed together, waving mockingly to Peyton and watched as they all strut into the cafeteria. Chuckling to himself, Jake reached out a hand and patted Lucas on the back and smiled, "You and Brooke are looking good. I think you suit each other well."

Lucas grinned at the thought. "Yeah well she can be, you know, _Brooke _sometimes, but I love her" He laughed briefly before returning the compliment over to Jake, "So are you and Peyton. God, I couldn't think of anyone better for her."

Jake muttered a quick 'thanks' and the two men lost themselves into their minds about the women they loved. "Hm" Jake began, an interesting thought coming to his head, "it's too bad that Nathan and Haley hate each other, huh?"

--

Haley cursed as she reached down to the lowest level of her locker to retrieve her calculus book from underneath her large stash of heavy books. Her day was not going in the way she had originally planned and she should have known that as soon as she saw that Nathan Scott was her ride to school that things would end badly.

Trying to shake her visible thoughts of her worst enemy out of her head, Haley slammed her locker door shut with a bang, startling her curious peers around her. Haley was more than aware of the amount of people who witnessed their confrontation just before lunch and she had successfully avoided him thus far to limit herself from making an even bigger scene than before.

Someone wrapped their arms around her middle torso and Haley jumped reflexively at the gesture. "Why hello there, baby" Chris Keller's voice whispered huskily into her ear and Haley had to retrain herself from throwing up inside her mouth.

"Chris, stop it, I'm not in the mood" Haley grumbled quickly, shaking out of his grip and attempting to start heading down the hallway to her next class.

"What's the rush Hales?" Chris questioned as he intertwined their hands against her will. He was oblivious to the way she was struggling to break their connection and kept babbling, "I mean you have Schroeder, right? I'm sure he wouldn't care if you skipped."

The mischievous grin on his face made Haley cringe. It was particularly creepy to her how he knew her class schedule. "No thanks" She refused politely, finally able to release their hands.

Without warning, her back was suddenly drawn up against a random set of lockers, her books toppling to the ground. Haley heard her own intake of breath as Chris's face was just inches from hers. The warning bell sounded, in both her head and reminding her that she only had a minute to rush to her next class.

"Chris come on, I'm going to be late" Haley pleaded, uncomfortable with the way he was pushing himself up against her pelvis.

"Don't sweat it, Haley James" Chris grinned and Haley knew that he figured he was going to get his way whether she liked it or not.

She tried to squirm and break free out of his arms but he was too much stronger than she was. "Chris come on, let go" Haley growled, shoving an elbow into his ribs, making him wince momentarily. His lips attacked her neck furiously and Haley struggled wildly against him, ferociously attempting to remove his face from touching any part of her skin.

"Chris, seriously!" She yelled once more, her eyes searching the halls for any signs of life. But no one was there to witness this event since everyone had retired to class. Haley clamped her eyes shut and continued to fight against Chris, making her lips scarce enough so that there would be nothing to kiss if he would happen to try.

"I'll be damned if you lay one more finger on her, Keller" A deep voice boomed from behind them and she felt Chris's body tense up. Relief washed over her whole body and Haley opened her eyes to glance around Chris's body she was hiding behind.

Chris almost immediately jumped off of Haley and her grateful smile changed quickly into shock as she saw Nathan Scott standing there, his lips pursed, dangerously glaring at Chris.

"Skipping class, Scott?" Chris grinned momentarily but shut up at the threat that was evitable in Nathan's eyes. "Uhm, yeahI'dbestbegettingtoclasstoo…" He fumbled his words around, almost too fast to understand, and tried to run backwards, tripping over the set of Haley's books. That didn't stop him for long as he turned and took off sprinting down the long hallway.

Nathan snorted at the easiness of taking care of Chris Keller. He paused as he looked at Haley's expression that showed clearly across her face and she stood frozen, not removing her back from the lockers. His eyes moved downward to her stuff that was scattered across the floor and moved easily over towards her, bending down to gather them up for her.

Haley stared unemotionally down at the books that he held out for her with one hand and Nathan cocked an eyebrow as he realized that she wasn't going to take them from him. He moved them into her hands forcefully and was surprised that she suddenly gripped onto them by her own effort after that. "You okay?" He asked, not sure if she was even human at this point…or breathing.

Haley shook her head unbelievably and Nathan could tell it was not in response to his question. "Wh-what, where in the hell did you come from?" She finally spoke, amazed that only moments before he had arrived the hall had been completely deserted.

Nathan pointed to a classroom a few steps down the hall. "I was heading to the bathroom from Physics and on my way I found you with _Heller_" He changed his name bitterly, it rolling off his tongue knowing that he deserved it.

Haley's eyes grew dark and a bad feeling rumbled deep down in Nathan's chest. _Great, that look is never good. _The light-brown haired girl straightened suddenly and shoved her books tightly up against her body, "Thanks but I really didn't need a hero."

The iciness in her tone made Nathan raise his eyebrows, not convinced. "Yeah, it really _looked _like that" He muttered sarcastically, making Haley just growl at him. Raising his arms in surrender, he fought back, "Hey, I was only trying to help. It looked like you needed it."

Nathan was ready to let go of the argument there and get back to what he was originally planning to do, but he should have known that she wasn't going to give up that quickly. "_No_, I didn't" She protested angrily. Haley crossed her arms stubbornly and clamped her lips shut thickly.

Nathan rolled his eyes. He knew what she had wished. She had wished that it was someone else, anyone else that had saved her, but him. If it was Lucas or Jake, _sure_, but she never would want it to be him.

"Come on Haley" Nathan sighed tiredly. For some reason, the great Scott was too exhausted to fight it out with Haley, even though there are many things he wishes he could snap at her.

"I don't need saving, and I sure as hell am not that _delicate_. You of all people should know that. I don't even know why you would bother anyways, if he _were _about to hurt me" Haley made sure to emphasize on _'were', _"I would never expect it from you."

Nathan frowned suddenly at her and Haley immediately knew that it wasn't in anger. "Is that what you think?" His tone sounded so flat, so defeated, that it made Haley regret for a small second what she had said.

"You think that I'm so _heartless _that if I saw you, or even anyone else, being abused that I wouldn't help if I could?" Haley eyes softened at Nathan's choice of words. She couldn't ignore his gaze that was slowly penetrating into her eyes. Nathan scoffed suddenly and shook his head, "Yeah well, I guess you would just never _expect _it from me anyways."

She had hit a nerve. Haley watched as Nathan walked away from her without a word and she couldn't push away the weight that was slowly crushing down onto her chest. Sure, he was angry by the time he left, but it was the last thought that was on Haley's mind.

Maybe, just maybe, she had misinterpreted her best friend's brother…

… Maybe, she was wrong.

--

**Wow that was long. I hope you all enjoyed this! I'll try to have the next chapter up soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! They are much appreciated. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Tree Hill or any related characters.

--

**Halo**

"I am the most awful, horrible, wretched, _disgusting _person on the entire planet!"

Peyton Sawyer kinked an eyebrow at her best friend Haley's melodramatic breakdown as she slammed her locker door shut in fury with herself, her lightly colored hair swishing in her face. "Come on Hales…I'm sure it wasn't that bad" Peyton tried to reason with her best friend, but Haley was having none of that.

"You weren't there Peyt…you didn't see the…the _look _he gave me. It was as if I was the worst person on Earth; worse than a serial killer!" Haley yelled out and Peyton nervously slapped a hand over Haley's mouth, to prevent from spilling any more secrets about herself to the entire school.

Peyton sighed and abruptly stopped walking down the hall to place a comforting hand on Haley's shoulder. "Don't you think you are overreacting, maybe just a little bit?" She spoke softly, relieved that the effort she was making to calm down the light brown haired girl was working. Peyton took her hand off Haley's shoulder and shoved it deep down into the pocket of her jeans and shrugged, "Besides, it's Nathan Scott. You two have been sworn enemies since God knows when. He'll understand."

"Peyton, I crossed the line." Haley's eyes looked up into hers in devastation, the real Haley that cared more about other people than she did herself, coming out. "It doesn't matter if we hate each other. No one deserves that."

Peyton's eyes softened for her best friend, and wrapped her arms swiftly around Haley before she broke down in front of her. She hated to see her best friend so disappointed, especially if it was at herself. "Hales it'll be alright, it's going to be okay. Nathan will forgive you…" Peyton soothed.

"No, it's not that. How can I forgive myself?" Haley shook her head, groaning while she pulled at a few strands of her long, silky hair. She dreaded the moment that she would have to face Nathan Scott for the first time since their confrontation and she wasn't sure she would ever be ready for it. "This isn't something that can be resolved quickly."

Peyton sighed as she continued to walk with her friend down the long hallway crowded with students. "You just have to. You have to learn to forgive yourself or else it'll only make things worse."

Haley rolled her eyes, hating the fact that Peyton was right. The silent agreement that her mind was making aggravated Haley to no end, seeing as she felt her mind was screaming out at the same time. She looked around at the faces of her peers who were laughing and goofing around with each other like nothing could ever be wrong in their worlds. That also annoyed Haley.

Peyton followed her best friend's eyes as they swarmed over the array of teenagers that filed down the halls nosily until one particular set of eyes stopped her in her movement. Hearing the small gasp that sounded next to her, Peyton only guessed that Haley had noticed who stood just meters down from them. She nervously looked down at the light-haired girl that stood beside her, Haley's face gone sheet white.

"He-him…damn…"

The words came out all jumbled up and Peyton had a hard time comprehending Haley's words and translating them as words or mutters. "Why does life have to be shitting on me right now…" That sentence however was clear as Haley snapped her eyes shut and grunted.

Peyton took two seconds to figure out what to do and decided quickly to move in front of Haley, blocking her from the path of view of Nathan. "Okay, well, uhm…do you want to talk to him now? I mean it's your perfect chance…" Peyton cut her sentence off once she received a death glare from Haley.

"Yeah and be lowered down into the ground in my coffin earlier than I'm supposed to be? I'd think not" Haley muttered to her best friend sarcastically, all the while hesitantly brushing strands of her hair behind her ear. "I think I'll stick with laying low today. I haven't had _nearly _enough time to write up a speech for this…" She took this time to glance up at Peyton who was giving her a lopsided smile, "And yes, a speech is vital and necessary pertaining to the god awful crime I commited."

Peyton stared blankly at Haley, at a loss for the right words. Finally she settled on, "Are you _trying to _be funny?"

"Does it _look _like I'm _kidding_?" Haley hissed under her breath, wearily sneaking glances out from behind Peyton. It was clearly evident to Peyton that Haley was nervous as hell. Now she was certain she knew what Lucas Scott meant when he said that Nathan and Haley could only be easily riled up by each other. Even when they weren't arguing and were instead lamented into a perilous situation that had Haley ready to fall to her knees and plead Nathan for his forgiveness, it was still a mutiny of hell that made Peyton feel like she was watching a damn soap opera. Or at least, MTV, although she could easily defend someone who would tell it's producers that the life story of Nathan and Haley is far more fascinating than the countless numbers of other reality shit that they provide.

There wasn't much that fascinated Peyton Sawyer, though. One would most definitely have to be Guns N' Roses who shocked their fans when they finally released a new record after a fourteen year delay. Two would have to be Nathan and Haley's purely hate relationship ever since Haley caught Nathan dipping her lightly-brown colored braids into a can of red paint when they were six years old. The number three spot, to which she had just discovered, was reserved for right now. Right now, as in when Peyton Sawyer caught Haley James staring towards the back of Nathan Scott's head with gluttony, her melancholy face looking more tortured than she had ever felt. Sure, Haley had always been stubbornly unforgiving to herself when she made a mistake, but this was a scene she had never witnessed before in all her seventeen years of life. It was almost as if she was…

"Haley? Are you sure you're okay?" Peyton trailed off, becoming overall concerned for her best friend who was too busy cutting solemn, depressed holes in the back of Nathan's head.

"If I was okay, why would I be feeling so damn guilty all the time?" Haley mumbled, her eyes brimming with tears. Oh no, anything but this. Peyton could deal with any kind of burning in hell or freezing in Antarctica but _this_. She was not designed to weep, much less stand there and nonchalantly pat a dear friend on the back while they sobbed helplessly on her shoulder. No, she couldn't deal with that.

Desperate times, call for desperate measures. _Smack. _"Ow!" Haley cried in pain, pouting softly as she rubbed the slowly yellowing bruise on her left shoulder. "What the hell was that for?" She angrily asked, Peyton still able to trace that hint of innocence in her voice.

"Snap. Out. Of. It." Gritting her teeth with as much force as she could contain, the curly haired blonde pointedly directed a finger in front of her petite friend's face. "Quit feeling fucking sorry for your _fucking _self!" She blew out a frustrated breath and lowered her vicious finger that had Haley scared stiff. Softening her face so she didn't frighten the smaller girl completely, Peyton grabbed her shoulders encouragingly, "You can do this, Hales. You can apologise."

And then Peyton heard Haley's sharp intake of breath and initially crossed it off as a reaction to her sudden outburst, but knew better to believe that notion for a second longer when Haley grew pale. Her eyes were shifted to a figure behind Peyton and the blonde turned swiftly around to come face to face with Nathan Scott.

'_Perfect timing' _Peyton laughed dryly in her head, slightly chastising herself in her mind for even thinking about joking around during that particular moment.

Nathan glanced back at Haley's frightened face and suddenly frowned. Peyton racked her brain to possible solutions to what he could possibly be thinking in that moment. His eyebrows scrunched together, his lips pursed tightly in a thin line. Not good, most definitely _not _good. Peyton remembered the first time she had seen Nathan purse his lips; when their second grade teacher brought in a stack of freshly baked brownies for their class to share and Nathan had discovered that they had nuts in them. _Not _good.

Peyton ceased the moment where Haley's bog brown eyes softened at the sight of him. Glancing towards the chivalrous dark-haired guy, Peyton watched his ocean blue eyes darken in a split second. Two different forces, soft and dark, joining together in this moment of silence. Neither spoke and neither breathed.

The warning bell shrilled in the aroma of the halls, echoing throughout Peyton's ears. She cursed silently at herself for momentarily forgetting that they were still positioned in the middle of a crowded hallway full of their peers. Nathan shot out of their line of view like lightning, both girls barely able to make out his fading figure sway into a classroom far east down the hall.

Peyton damned life for making her, yet again, the one to witness an interesting confrontation between Nathan and Haley.

--

Brooke Davis was not one to joke. Mostly because she never _was _joking about such tales that involved her bunging jumping off a bridge held up by only a single cord or spending $1,000 on a velour sweat suit by Juicy. No, she most definitely never kids when it comes to shopping.

And that's the reason she's determined to make her prediction become reality. Her prediction that involves Nathan Scott, Haley James, and an opposites attract sort-of romance all in one. So when her boyfriend Lucas Scott heard this theory, she had him flabbergasted.

"Come again?"

"Think about it, Luke. Nathan Scott and Haley James. Nathan, the egotistic womanizer with Haley, the frenzied aristocrat…_Naley._" Brooke was so ridiculously enthusiastic about her pairing name that she clutched onto her boyfriend's shoulder, squealing softly in delight. "It's _perfect_!"

Lucas winced slightly at his girlfriend's tight hold on his arm. "Uh…no." He stated shortly, getting a queasy feeling when it came to Nathan and Haley as a couple. He wasn't sure he could stomach it all. "Maybe in another lifetime Brooke" Lucas suggested weakly as he removed Brooke's already dug-in fingernails out of his shoulder.

Brooke groaned. "But _Lucas_…"

"No." He stood straight and looked the brunette in the eye. "Do you seriously want to get in the middle of World War III?" His lame attempt at a joke made Brooke glare harshly over at the blonde, nevertheless curling her fingers around his hand softly as they exited the school building from which they came from.

"You can't deny that they would be _so cute _together…." Brooke hinted as she slightly nudged her boyfriend in the ribs suggestively.

Lucas groaned and unlocked their hands to use them as a shield over his ears. "Stop that! Brother and best friend…_no_!" He whined dramatically, ignoring Brooke's roll of the eyes.

"What's got your panties in a bind, brother?" Nathan snickered lightly as he came up from behind Lucas and clapped him on the shoulder roughly. Lucas growled in pain, shooting Brooke an accusing glare while rubbing his shoulder, mumbling to himself.

"Apparently I'm going to have to undergo surgery to remove the searing _pain _in my shoulder right now from the constant abuse it's receiving."

Nathan mocked Brooke's previous gesture with a roll of his eyes, watching Brooke's face intensely as it suddenly brightened. "Oh Nathan! We were _just _talking about you and Hale…ow!" Brooke whimpered as she clutched onto her leg painfully, hissing under her breath at her boyfriend who intentionally kicked her in the shin.

Nathan's eyes narrowed at the sudden mention of his enemy. He had almost been able to completely avoid her line of path all day except for the short moment they exchanged glances in the hall before 4th period. However the saddened look in her eyes when he spotted her was enough to drive him insane the rest of the day, contemplating in his head what she could have possibly been thinking.

"Help me _breathe_, you guys!" Peyton yelled drastically over to the threesome as she exasperatedly dragged Jake by the hand over to her friends. "I swear to God if I have to listen to Haley's little pity party she's having today _one more time…_"

"Relax, baby" Jake laughed shortly, kissing Peyton's soft head full of curls.

Nathan grunted, receiving curious looks from his friends that surrounded him. He looked away purposefully, pretending to be more interested in the ground rather than the knowing glance that he knew Lucas would probably deprive him of.

"What the hell is with you today, Scott?" Brooke distastefully eyed the dark-haired man, knowing very well what buttons she was trying to push. She never received a verbal response however, trading that for the death glare he sent dangerously in her direction. "Just asking…apparently something's up both the Scott brothers' asses today…" She continued mumbling incoherently, crossing her arms and pointedly ignoring Lucas's annoyed expression he had plastered on his face.

Peyton leaped at the chance to quickly turn to Nathan and lower her voice, "Hey Nate, listen…"

"Haley!" Brooke screamed to the petite light-brown haired girl strolling to her car on the other side of the arboretum. Everyone watched as a startled Haley whipped around, her hair flying in her face clumsily. She grinned momentarily and raised a hand to wave eagerly at her friend, only to have her body fill with chagrin as she spotted the one person she tried desperately to avoid standing behind Brooke. The moment was over before Brooke could even comprehend it and Haley was out of everyone's sight as she hurriedly rushed into the mob of students.

Brooke frowned slightly, "That was weird…"

Peyton sighed in concern for one of her best friends, "See what I mean? We'll catch you all later." The group of three murmured goodbyes to Peyton and Jake and watched them silently as they walked hand in hand towards the school parking lot.

Lucas and Brooke turned away from the couple to see Nathan staring intently into the crowd that Haley had disappeared into with a disapproving look on his face. "Yeah, I'll see you two later, also…" He managed to murmur out as he took off in the direction Haley was heading.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Well…that's a first. Nathan _trying _to get his throat cut off." The thought seemed to amuse Lucas greatly and he leaned over quickly to drop a kiss on Brooke's forehead. "I'll call you later, sweetheart. Love you."

Brooke smiled genuinely at her boyfriend, amazed that she still had those little butterflies still fluttering in her stomach when he touched her in an affectionate way. "Love you too. By the way, I thought you were going to try and catch Haley before she left?" Brooke questioned Luke, silently praying that he wouldn't, wanting desperately to give Nathan and Haley some time alone. Even if they were already screaming in each other's faces.

Lucas shrugged dismissively. "Nah, I'll just call her later or run by her house or something."

--

Haley fumbled with the silver key that hung dangling from a chain, her shaky fingers depriving her from getting her car unlocked faster. "Stupid motherfucker…" She grumbled to herself, cursing her damn car that chose today of all days, when all she wanted to do was escape this place, to have her at a halt.

"Having trouble, James?" The oh-so familiar smooth voice sounded out in earshot of Haley and she groaned inwardly to the absolute horror she was experiencing in a single moment.

"What the fuck do you want, Scott?" Haley barely bothered to ask annoyingly, shoving rough pieces of her hair out of her face impatiently. She had finally managed to unlock her car and slung her messenger bag off of her shoulder and tossed it angrily into the passenger seat. She turned around briefly to catch Nathan staring at her with raised eyebrows. "_What?_" This scene was quite familiar in Haley's mind, remembering their car ride just a day earlier.

Nathan shrugged innocently, all thoughts about their previous argument flying out the window. A small smirk tugged coyly on his lips, "Nothing. Just heard you had quite a…_productive _day." A chuckle threatened to erupt from Nathan's mouth as he watched Haley's face twist with hatred.

"Says who?" Haley demanded.

Nathan lifted his shoulders again. "Not that it matters, but I sort of think you owe me something…" He mischievously retorted, completely ignoring Haley's recent question.

"I don't have time for your games, Scott" Haley tiredly let out, gritting her teeth as she determinedly slipped into the driver's seat of her car and started it up. She reached over and pulled on the door only to have it not budge. Haley glanced up to see Nathan towering over her, his hands firmly placed on the outskirts of her door. Banging her hand on the steering wheel, Haley threw up her hands in surrender. "I give!"

Nathan couldn't help but smile, applauding himself for successfully ruining her day, as if it was his plan all along. "I believe you owe me an apology" He whispered so that it limited the chances of having someone overhear their conversation. His face turned to all seriousness and Haley suddenly frowned.

Haley glanced softly into Nathan's eyes momentarily, feeling the apology radiating off the tip of her tongue. However, she couldn't even force herself to converse with it. "_I don't owe you anything_". She settled for the lies and darkened her big brown eyes slightly.

This time, it was Nathan's turn to have his grin fall. "Are you sure you don't want to say anything? Haven't you wanted to…" He could tell by the look in her eyes he had witnessed earlier that morning and the objections Peyton had informed him of about Haley's attitude were enough to prove that she was feeling guilty. Apparently, not.

"Not anymore." The statement was cool, harsh. Nathan instantly backed off of her car, knowing that he had pushed her too far, too quickly. His own eyes grew dark as well as he slightly cursed himself. He should have known that her pride was too much for her to overcome anything.

Without any second of hesitance, Haley slammed her door shut and hit the gas pedal as hard as she could. Her car swerved down the path leading out the exit of the parking lot, leaving unknowingly a pair of ocean blue eyes following her firebird as it evaporated from their view.

--

Lucas Scott was not one to be afraid of anything. No, he most certainly wasn't afraid for his mother when she underwent a life-threatening procedure when he was seven years old, leaving him wondering if his mother would ever return to him. He was instead confident that she would make it, his mother was strong; that's all that he needed, and she did. Karen Scott pulled through.

So no, he most definitely was not afraid of letting Nathan and Haley get close. The idea that Brooke had planted in his head did not frighten him. It merely only had him puzzled. Here were two people, who depended solely on making the other's life as miserable as they could. So was he afraid? No. Slightly worried? You could say that. Lucas would never wish for his friends to be unhappy, so if that was their choice, he would stand by them through thick and thin. But, what if that choice was a mistake? A part of life they wouldn't be able to erase? How could he live with that?

"Stop it, Lucas, stop it" Lucas annoyingly shouted to himself about the thoughts that disturbed his mind. Turning left, onto a new road, he made a silent reminder to kill Brooke for her outrageous theories that suddenly had him frazzled.

He was distracted, by all means, by the thoughts that clouded his whole way of thinking. So distracted in fact, that he barely noticed the light flash above him turn red. So distracted, that he barely had time to react as he heard the squealing sound of tires desperately trying to skid to a halt head on his side of the car. Lucas's eyes were wide as bright white lights flooded his view, and then suddenly his world turned black.

However, in that split second, Lucas Scott _was _afraid.

--

**Cliffhanger? You bet. I hope I don't take too long to update, you guys have been great! Reviews are much appreciated. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, sorry it took forever! Please enjoy this chapter. R&R.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Tree Hill or any related characters.

--

**Chapter 4**

The crisp wind whispered in the harsh cold, blowing in all sorts of directions at an unstoppable pace. The petitie girl sitting on the only hard stub seen for miles tucked her hands loosely in her pockets and cowered her face into the hood of her wool coat. The water in front of her shimmered and swished back and forth in soft rhythm with the wind. The leaveless tree branches tugged against the freezing currents. The cloudy sky was dark and lifeless.

Exactly how Haley James felt.

This girl was barely recognizable. Her non-water proof mascara left black, blotchy stains on her cheeks. Haley's usually bog brown eyes were dark with bloodshot red rims. The tears that had overflowed her eyes had dried up. She had cried to such an extent that she couldn't feel them coming anymore and there were no more tears left to cry. Her pale face was dull and hard.

Not a single sound was heard. Not a single thought was made.

--

Brooke Davis was broken and bruised, shattered and confused. Her already breaking heart was slowing tearing to pieces as she stared wordlessly down at her wonderful boyfriend lying still in the hospital bed. The beeping monitor was the only sound that could overrun her quiet sobs as she wept.

How could something this awful happen to him? How could his perfect, smoky voice not be heard? How could his adorable squinty eyes not be seen?

The dark-brunette shakily grasped Lucas's hand with her own, crushing it tightly to her heart. "Come on Luke...feel me." Brooke squeezed her eyes shut and leaned down to kiss their linked hands lovingly. "Feel me." Her voice croaked with need.

Not one twitch, wince, or squeeze. Brooke stuttered out an emotional sob and tore their connected fingers apart. Two soft, warm hands held the high school girl's shoulders up just before they shrugged down. Brooke reached up to grasp the hands comfortingly, needing something to hold onto as her eyes racked out an endless array of tears.

The woman rewrapped her arm to gather her up against her chest as she cried. Brooke took a second to look into the eyes of Karen Scott, before feeling foolish about showing her vulnerable side in front of her boyfriend's mother. She got up hastily, trying hard to wipe away the tears that shed her pain.

"He'll come through this" Karen whispered defectively, posting a fake, battered smile onto her white face reassuringly.

Brooke nodded solemnly. "I'll-leave you two alone" She managed to mutter hoarsely, wanting desperately to escape the suddenly crowded and suffocating room that was enclosing quickly on her. The annoying beeping that filled the room constantly rang deep in her ears.

The door closed quietly shut behind the brunette and for a false moment, Karen stared blankly at the colorless wall. She had known this room for a mere 24 hours and was already accustomed to its apathetic meaning. The definition for the callous place clearly spelt out hospital. It was _so_...heavy. Empty. Flat.

Karen gazed back to her son, lying motionless under the twisted sheets that covered his fragile body. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, safe from bursting out with loud sobs. Her young little boy...only 17 years old. Just one day ago he was teasing her about treating him like a little kid. And now here he was in this dreadful place...not sure if he would ever wake up again. Her heart broke almost immediately, thinking about how much life he still has left to go. It wouldn't be fair to have to bury her own son.

_No_ She forced the thought to leave her head. She can't think like that; she won't. Karen Scott would not predict her son's fate. She would only hope, dream, and pray every night that he return to his family and friends.

Her heart ached for her son as she reached over to brush his cheek with her hand softly. "Oh, my baby boy..." Karen's voice cracked brokenly just shortly before burying her face in his neck.

--

The water shot through her foot veins like a mixture of fire and ice. Haley stood on the top of small, granite rocks with the cool water swishing lightly at her feet. Her toes froze in the water and her whole body felt numb. But that was okay, because she already felt frozen and numb anyway.

Haley's heart only throbbed and pulsed faintly. She couldn't feel it; she couldn't feel any of it. Her best friend...she couldn't even think about it. Much less go to see him.

Spots of sand tickled the places in between her toes. She was barely breathing, her breath only coming out in short inaudible gasps. Her fingers grazed her smooth, icy cold forehead, sending signals of memories shooting like flames through her head.

--

_FLASHBACK_

_"Hales! No!" A young, 11-year old Lucas Scott called out vivaciously to his best friend. He ran his short legs through the soggy brown mud, using all of his possible strength to reach Haley by the rocks. Lucas's eyes lit up with anticipation as he watched the young brown-haired girl turn sharply at his prompt voice._

_Haley scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "Luke, what are you doing here?" Her tiny voice trolled and Lucas sighed with relief. He had reached her by now and was grabbing her by the shoulders, giving her a brief shake. Haley's deep brown eyes stared widely back into her best friend's, alarmed. _

_"Don't do it Hales! I'm here for you!" He begged over and over again and Haley just stared back out the blonde with amusement. She was slightly unable to comprehend what he was talking about, but he sounded weirdly funny to her. _

_She giggled ever so quietly. Lucas paused in the middle of his rant to lock his eyes on her in bewilderment. "What could possibly be funny right now?" A dent creased in his forehead, his tone anxious. _

_"You!" Haley laughed cheekily. _

_The small boy grimaced but didn't release any pressure on his shoulders. "Haley…don't ever do that to me. I was so scared for you…" Lucas's lower lip trembled, apprehensive about the thought of losing his best friend. Haley's smile froze and her mouth turned downward into a frown. _

"_Lukey…I'm okay. What are you talking about?" Her adolescent stance immediately straightened maturely. Haley was at a loss for words, puzzled at the fear and anxiety that she knew she heard in his voice. It took her a second to comprehend her surroundings, seeing her tiny, bare feet crimpling under the rocks. The water behind her roared viciously as if it was calling her. Then a light dawned in her head…the confusion…the dread…her rushed and frazzled best friend. Her eyes widened, "_Oh…_" She murmured quietly, feeling suddenly exposed._

"_Yeah. Talk about panic attack, Hales" Lucas aroused absently. His arm curled around her neck protectively, helping her down from the hard-like rocks that were starting to batter her feet unpleasantly. _

_"Luke...no, I wasn't..." Haley stuttered, staring towards her feet. She felt sheepishly ashamed of frightening him so, which made her almost sick to her core whenever she thought about it. And about the real reason she was out here..."I'm not going to dive in." She was determined to assure her friend of the truth._

_Confusion flickered on young Lucas's already hazy face. "What are you talking about, Hales?" He laughed out of spite of the sudden awkwardness, though it was hardly appropriate. _

_Haley sighed and bit her lip subconsciously, "This is the spot where I do all my thinking. I wanted to come here and be by myself..." She whispered her confession as if she were afraid someone else would hear and tell. And that was the last thing she wanted._

_Realization spread across the blonde's face and Haley waited impatiently for his reaction. "So...you weren't..." He couldn't bring himself to continue his sentence but she shook her head violently without hesitation to confirm. He seemed to let out a shaky breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Whoo."_

_The two friends giggled and wrapped their arms around each other, just like they did any other normal day. "I'm sorry, Hales." Lucas apologised softly into Haley's ear. "Your dad meant a lot to me, too."_

_Tears welled up into the petite girl's bog brown eyes and clouded them almost immediately. She forced a smile on her face as she pulled back to glance at Lucas, but her response was genuine. "S'okay, Luke."_

_That was all it took for Lucas to gather the girl he thought of as his little sister into his arms and let her cry gently on his shoulder._

_END OF FLASHBACK_

_--_

The hours spent in the waiting room ticked by ever so slowly, stringing the four teenagers crowded in the wretched space on the edge of doubt and hope.

"It's been hours..." Brooke mumbled sleepily against Peyton's shoulder and the curly-haired blonde just tucked the blistered girl into her arms more securely in response. No one spoke, but they all answered with the same thoughts. It _had _been hours, over a day in fact and still no reaction from their loved one.

"Maybe you should go home and get some rest, Brooke." Jake leaned over Peyton to look worriedly into Brooke's now darkened eyes, showing no signs of life. The brunette only shook her head and buried her face into Peyton's shoulder to hide her face. Jake and Peyton exchanged helpless glances.

Peyton would be lying if she said she wasn't afraid. Afraid for Lucas, afraid for Brooke...

A thought crossed Peyton's mind slowly and left her uneasy. "Does...does anyone know where Haley is?" She almost whispered the question but it was enough to grab the attention of Nathan Scott. The blonde watched his eyes lift from the spot on the couch which he had been staring at for the past hour. An expression of uncertainty crossed his shadowed face and Peyton's hope crumbled.

"I tried calling her cell five times..." Brooke's voice cracked as she shrugged her head lazily off of Peyton's arm. "It's off. She knows though..." Her face twisted in discomfort from resting on the cold, hard couches for hours. Then her face masked into concern for her absent best friend. "Someone should probably go look for her." Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Brooke yawned as she rose to a sitting position as if preparing to get up.

Peyton agreed immediately, her eyebrows scrunched together as she rubbed Brooke's back soothingly. "I agree. Jake and I can probably go though Brooke, if you'd rather stay here..." She offered, looking back towards her boyfriend for approval. Out of the corner of her eye, her eyes connected with Nathan's and she watched his face go blank, as if he were searching for answers he didn't have...

--

_The dark-haired, 5 foot tall boy watched mysteriously from afar as the two best friends embraced tightly. His eyes softened as he watched Haley James pull back with tears puring down her cheeks. However, he couldn't help but feel that ping of jealousy when she ran straight back into Lucas's comforting arms. _

_In truth, he wouldn't be able to lie if someone knew that he had always been watching her, looking out for her, even if she never knew it. This was _her _spot and he knew that. As far as he had thought, no one else did either. Apparently that all changes though, especially when a best friend is involved. _

_When news of Jimmy James's death spread throughout Tree Hill, Nathan's first reaction was of where Haley was, what she could possibly be feeling. He knew where he could find her and the young boy was unable to help himself and hunt her down in the one spot he knew she could feel comfortable. Though she never was aware that he had been watching her, he felt a sense of relief to know that wherever she was she was safe and not alone._

_--_

And then Peyton was startled by Nathan's sudden choice of movement as he almost sprang up from his chair and glanced around at his three friends. "I'm...I'll go look for Haley. I'm pretty sure I know where she is..." He said it more to himself than he did to the three curious people around him obliviously.

No one had the chance to utter another word before the dark-haired man disappeared from their sight.

--

The gray skies began to cloud over and darken, afflicting sunset in the near-off distance. Haley was oblivious to the passing of time. In one moment it seemed to drag on slowly but at the same time she was wondering where the time had gone. Her seat was beginning to get uncomfortable and her face felt dry and numb from the cold. She was certain her friends would be worried about her, even her mother. But no one knew of her secret hiding place; except Lucas.

"Haley."

That woke her up. Haley swiveled around to meet Nathan's leveling gaze. He was crouched down beside her, staring into her eyes with...what was that? Concern, maybe, or even fright.

"What are you doing here?" Her non-coherent voice was raspy and dull. She broke their eye contact and turned back around to stare off towards the shore. Great, he found her at her most vulnerable level. Nathan Scott of all people, figured out that she had been hiding.

She heard his low, deep sigh behind her but she didn't let that befuddle her. She continued to stare off at the blue water around her until she heard him speak. "When you didn't show up at the hospital, answer any of our calls, or didn't return home, we all got worried." His velvet voice was so soft and soothing that Haley couldn't help but feel superior. She knew he meant her friends. They were all most likely at the hospital right now, sitting in the waiting room for answers...that Haley knew she never had the courage to do.

Her rosy cheeks grew even redder as she bowed her head protected her face with her sandy hair to keep from letting Nathan catch sight of it. "How's Brooke and Karen doing?" She managed to whisper hoarsely.

"They're handling it. But I'm more concerned about you."

Haley steered her head around again to catch Nathan's blue-green eyes and saw the determination in them. She wanted to laugh, it all seemed silly to her. Nathan Scott was worried about her...what a surprise. "Of course you are..." Haley uttered her piece, taking the time to let out a weak chuckle.

Nathan's eyes immediately darkened with anger. "I _am_. Everyone is, I mean Haley, you disappeared and no one knew where you were. It's kind of hard not to be terrified. You were supposed to be at the hospital and I'm certain that you would have been there if something wasn't going on."

He was right of course, about all of it. She fought to roll her eyes at the irony of all of it. It was hard for her to admit to herself that she was running herself scared, away from the reality of it all. So she avoided the subject entirely. "How did you find me?" She asked instead. Of course, she was rather curious.

He exhaled slowly. What did he say to that? Certainly not 'I followed you' or 'I've always watched you while you were here'. No, definitely not that. "When you were seven..." Haley's face went blank. "Your first pet Marley died. You came here, sat on this very same ledge and cried your face blue." He watched her brown eyes widen, the curve of her lips part in shock. "When you were nine, your grandmother underwent a terrible surgery. You are close with her...you sat on this _very _stump and prayed until it was dark out that she would be okay."

"How-how..." Haley was purely speechless. She had never even told Lucas any of that...

Nathan smiled faintly. He turned his head towards the direction of the wind to avoid meeting her gaze. "I'm not even sure. I guess when I saw you run past me crying that first time when you were seven, I followed you to make sure you were okay. Then I guess it just became..." He wasn't sure how to finish his sentence. But she knew what he meant anyway.

This wasn't real, she told herself. Her heart was not reaching out to touch Nathan's shoulder delicately, and turn him towards her. But when she watched his pool of eyes glaze over hers, she saw the glistening tears in them. Haley's pale, skinny fingers glided upward into his hair in an affectionate manner. This was no longer about her or her secret place that he ended up being aware of for years.

Nathan was hesitant to take the first look into her big, anxious eyes and he knew that for once they were both on the same page. In some way, they had managed to connect on such an emotional level. They now had the same problems, the same feelings. Nathan was aghast to discover that he was now panicked at the thought of not being around her now. He needed her to help him through Luke's accident and deep down, she obliged the same need.

"You've been...you've known..." She stammered more to herself than to Nathan, but he said nothing, knowing she knew the truth.

The next thing she knew a big, muscular hand clouded her view in front of her face. Haley glanced up to look at Nathan, standing there with a hand held out for her to take. All she had to do was enclose her skin onto his. "Come on, Haley. Come see Lucas. He would want his best friend to be there."

Haley gulped with fear bubbling deep in her stomach. But as she flickered her gaze down on that welcoming hand of his, she wasn't afraid anymore. And then she reached her own out and laid it atop of his.

--


End file.
